Looks like momentum to keep the web open is beginning to build with the partnership of the Web Science Research Initiative (WSRI) and the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (NESTA).

There seem to be several areas that are under threat not least from the providers of web access ISPs who have mentioned the possibility of bandwidth throttling for some content providers meaning they can charge for an uninhibited service.

The next few years are going to be interesting for the future of the web lets just hope the openness continues.

I’ve posted a few times about ISPs kicking up a fuss about the amount of bandwidth new applications are using some even suggesting if the content providers don’t help out with costs they’ll be put into the Internet bus lane!

ISPs breaking net neutrality is a really dangerous course to take, effectively allowing companies to disadvantage their competitors over the web. Where does it stop? Only allowing customer access to one website with exclusive access rights for that sector? It’s as bad as standing outside a competitor’s shop and refusing to let customers go in.

Customers pay for bandwidth and expect to have free and unrestricted access to whatever they want on the web - bandwidth throttling goes against this and I think most customers if they were aware of this practices would complain to their ISP or even jump ship.

Now there is a report that Google is working on tools to detect if ISPs are bandwidth throttling - in my opinion this can only be good. If people are aware of the situation they can take action. In the long term this could mean ISPs would have to abandon this approach altogether for fear of losing customers.

Well further to my earlier post “Video is putting ISPs under strain” the new CEO of Virgin Media has jumped in saying net neutrality is “a load of bollocks”. Hmmm eloquently put.

Essentially it would seem that Virgin Media are negotiating deals with content providers to provide a faster service. So if a provider doesn’t pay Virgin Media their service will be negatively affected by throttling the bandwidth.

So Virgin Media is the new media highwayman now? Holding companies to ransom. Stand and deliver - your money or your service is going to be a flop! It might be the time to bring back hanging.